How the Birds Got Their Flight

A Fable by Avery Boutte

How the Birds Got Their Flight

A Fable by Avery Boutte

Everyone knows that birds can fly, but not everyone knows how they got that ability.

Once upon a time, a mischievous finch named Oompa decided to lay a trick on the penguins. At this time, all the birds lived together on series of islands that would later become the Galapagos Islands. Oompa decided to lure all the penguins onto a large island, than float them out to sea. Oompa put a bunch of fish on that island, and the penguins flocked to it. He cut the island away from the other islands with the help of some sharp-beaked birds.

The watchful fairy who lived on the islands felt them shift, and immediately discovered who was to blame for this disturbance. She gathered all of the remaining birds on one island, and gave them flight. She gave the eagles the ability to soar, and the hawks to glide. But to the finches, she only gave small bursts of flight. When Oompa voiced his annoyance about the unfairness, the fairy said that this was the price his species would pay for this cruel joke on the poor penguins. The rest of the birds flew away to distant lands, but the finches remained on the island. That is why many years later, Charles Darwin discovered a variety of finches on the Galapagos Islands. The penguins cannot fly, because they were not on the island when the airy gave birds the power of flight. This is the reason for birds flying differently than each other.